If you’ve already tried recharging and restarting your iPad, move on to resetting it. To reset your iPad, merely press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and then press and hold the Home button, continuing to press both for at least ten seconds. When you see the Apple logo, release both buttons.

Resetting your iPad is like forcing your computer to restart after a crash. Your data shouldn’t be affected by a reset — and in many cases, the reset cures whatever was ailing your iPad. So don’t be shy about giving this technique a try. In many cases, your iPad goes back to normal after you reset it this way.

Sometimes you have to press and hold the Sleep/Wake button before you press and hold the Home button. That’s because if you press both at the same time, you might create a screen shot — a picture of whatever is on your screen at the time — rather than reset your iPad.

A screen shot should only happen if you press and release both buttons at the same time, but sometimes pressing and holding both buttons triggers the screen shot mechanism instead of restarting your iPad.

Unfortunately, sometimes resetting doesn’t do the trick. When that’s the case, you have to take stronger measures, which might mean removing your content, resetting settings, and restoring your iPad.

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